U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett, a Republican representing Tennessee’s Second Congressional District, has reportedly filed legislation to go after the group Antifa.
This, according to the Nashville-based FOX 17, which said Burchett has introduced the “Unmasking Antifa Act.”
“The bill would issue fines and/or imprisonment for up to 15 years for any individual who wears a mask or disguise while committing a crime, including threatening or intimidating another individual exercising their constitutional rights or privileges,” the station reported.
Burchett reportedly said Antifa members are “cowards.”
“It’s time we get tough on this issue. These cowards wouldn’t act the way they do if the whole world could see their faces,” Burchett reportedly said.
“Look at the recent attack on a journalist in Portland. He was assaulted while expressing his freedom of speech. It’s just plain wrong to allow someone to commit a crime anonymously and get away with it.”
Burchett’s bill reportedly imposes two years of jail time “for anyone who destroys buildings or property within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction while wearing a disguise.”
“Burchett’s bill was introduced on July 25 as H.R. 4003,” according to FOX News 17.
“It was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.”
Antifa, which stands for “anti-fascism,” gained national attention during the “Occupy Wall Street” protests in 2011 and became increasingly prominent throughout the 2016 election cycle.
Recently, members of the group have appeared on college campuses, threatening attendees of events featuring conservative speakers, attacking journalists, and just this month, a man who claimed “I am Antifa” was killed after attacking an ICE facility in Washington State, armed with a rifle and Molotov cocktails.
As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Bill Cassidy proposed a resolution that would officially label the radical leftist group Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization.”
U.S. Republican President Donald Trump, meanwhile, reportedly lent support to labeling Antifa a terrorist organization last month, calling the group a collection of “gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs.”
“Consideration is being given to declaring ANTIFA, the gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs who go around hitting (only non-fighters) people over the heads with baseball bats, a major Organization of Terror (along with MS-13 & others),” Trump wrote.
“Would make it easier for police to do their job!”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
They need to lock up all of the cowards of Antifa! Put an end to their domestic terrorism!!!!!!
“Antifa” is a mob of fascist communist thugs and should absolutely be treated like the terror hate group that it is.
RICO act. Follow the money. Who is funding them? Who is naming targets for riots and demonstrations? Who makes the decisions? Who sets the strategy?
There’s already quite a few laws on the books that the Fascists of Anti-Fa violate and they could be charged with. The issue thus far has been the local politician’s approval and support for the activities, refusing to enforce the law and order.
Simply having the DoJ charging the local officials as co-conspirators and accomplices in the denial of civil rights would do a lot to clear this activity up.
I am old enough and went to school when history was taught to know that the Brownshirts during the 1930’s in Germany controlled the streets and attacked citizens, especially Jews; who had been disarmed. Lessons learned, I hope.
What’s the difference between “Antifa” and Brownshirts?
The color of their shirts.
But all joking aside, Brownshirts/Nazis were progressive socialists from the German Worker’s Party, and the Nazis were allied with the communist USSR at the beginning of WW2, when they jointly invaded Poland.
I cant wait until those cowards are labeled as Domestic Terrorists. That way it becomes open season on them until they are Extinct
That bill may not be the final answer, BUT it is a badly needed start.